[saltyhackle]

I'm on the hunt for a floating line that will make my Mangrove 8wt setup sing. Right now I have a SA Bonefish line on it, and it's ok I guess. Maybe my expectations are too high for the rod, but it just doesn't *feel* right with that line. It's not a bad little rod, I just think it needs the right line to dial it in. A few weeks ago I put a SA Bass Mastery line that was rated at like 260/280 grains that was surprisingly good... Two false casts with 30ft and then a big haul and I was shooting out to 60+ effortlessly. I'm not knowledgeable enough to articulate why, but something about that line felt like the rod was really coming alive when I casted it.

I do mostly snook, reds on the flats and docklights so distance isn't a primary concern. I also tend to gravitate towards throwing smaller flies (#2-#4) more often than not since where I live (Tampa) the fish are very pressured. What's a good line for a medium/fast action rod throwing small/medium patterns? If anyone has a Mangrove, what grain weight have you found works best?

Cheers!

 

[Steve_Mevers]

I have fished Cortland Tropic Plus lines off and on for the last 15 years, and I like them more and more.

 

[DWJensen]

I used to fish an 8wt Mangrove and tried several different lines on it, including a Rio Mainstream Saltwater, an SA Mastery Textured Saltwater Clear Tip F/S, and an SA Wavelength Grand Slam. I think the one that I liked best on it was the Grand Slam. It doesn't have much of a front taper and has a 233 grain head (first 30') that it would shoot pretty well. I liked it enough that I moved over to my replacement rod when I sold the Mangrove.

One thing that I did find with the Mangrove compared to faster rods (like the original Axiom) is that a slower stroke seems to help the rod load better. I'm definitely no expert, but 260-280 grains seems more like 10wt territory and a bit on the heavy side for an 8wt medium/fast action like the Mangrove.

 

[jay.bush1434]

The Mangrove is a pretty fast rod. SA Bonefish is a true weight line while that Bass line is a + weight line plus a short front taper to help quickly load and turn over heavy bass flies. You might like SA Grand Slam or Rio Redfish which are both overweight lines with fairly short front tapers. SA Infinity Salt would be another good choice if you liked that aggressive taper of the bass line.
If you don't want to keep chunking 80-100$ per line to find out which one you like, try slowing down your casting stroke and allow the line to fully extend behind you. It helps to look over your shoulder while getting a feel for it.

 

[saltyhackle]

I used to fish an 8wt Mangrove and tried several different lines on it, including a Rio Mainstream Saltwater, an SA Mastery Textured Saltwater Clear Tip F/S, and an SA Wavelength Grand Slam. I think the one that I liked best on it was the Grand Slam. It doesn't have much of a front taper and has a 233 grain head (first 30') that it would shoot pretty well. I liked it enough that I moved over to my replacement rod when I sold the Mangrove.

One thing that I did find with the Mangrove compared to faster rods (like the original Axiom) is that a slower stroke seems to help the rod load better. I'm definitely no expert, but 260-280 grains seems more like 10wt territory and a bit on the heavy side for an 8wt medium/fast action like the Mangrove.

Thanks for the feedback! The SA Grand Slam was one that I had actually looked at- I think it's between that and the RIO Redfish.

Side note- Have you experienced any issues with SAs welded loops deteriorating prematurely? I routinely make sure to give plenty of line out of the tip when storing the rod fully rigged, but this bonefish line I have is already coming apart at the loop. Only had it about 2 months too..

 

[jay.bush1434]

Thanks for the feedback! The SA Grand Slam was one that I had actually looked at- I think it's between that and the RIO Redfish.

Side note- Have you experienced any issues with SAs welded loops deteriorating prematurely? I routinely make sure to give plenty of line out of the tip when storing the rod fully rigged, but this bonefish line I have is already coming apart at the loop. Only had it about 2 months too..

I never store my rods fully rigged. It kinks either the fly line or the leader. After I rinse my gear off, I strip the line off the reel to the backing and using a microfiber cloth, wind the line back on. Sometimes I'll take my leader off if it is showing signs of wear or if I've clipped too much off from changing tippets. Usually, I wind the leader on. Incidentally, I leave the clipped knot on the end of the leader to help me find the end of the tippet when I go to re-rig.

 

[mosquitolaGOON]

The Mangrove is a pretty fast rod. SA Bonefish is a true weight line while that Bass line is a + weight line plus a short front taper to help quickly load and turn over heavy bass flies. You might like SA Grand Slam or Rio Redfish which are both overweight lines with fairly short front tapers. SA Infinity Salt would be another good choice if you liked that aggressive taper of the bass line.
If you don't want to keep chunking 80-100$ per line to find out which one you like, try slowing down your casting stroke and allow the line to fully extend behind you. It helps to look over your shoulder while getting a feel for it.

The Mangrove is absolutely not a fast rod. And the SA bonefish line is certainly not a true line weight. Any of those lines you recommended would result in breaking the loading capabilities of the rod and reinforce bad casting habits.

 

[saltyhackle]

@mosquitolaGOON what's your line recommendation?

 

[jay.bush1434]

The Mangrove is absolutely not a fast rod. And the SA bonefish line is certainly not a true line weight. Any of those lines you recommended would result in breaking the loading capabilities of the rod and reinforce bad casting habits.

https://www.scientificanglers.com/product/amplitude-bonefish/
Look up the taper specs, then reference your handy AFFTA approve line weight specs list. I'll help, target weight for an 8wt is 210grains on the chart. SA specs for bonefish line is 210grains. Regarding casting habits, that's on the OP. He said he liked the way the SA Bass felt which is closer to a 9+ weight line. So you figure out what would be a good suggestion for him...

 

[CAPTAlexMoran]

I'm a big fan of the Royal Wulff Bermuda shorts with my mangrove. Loads up nice and fast for those tight quarter shots. On the outside it can get a little tough to punch into the wind sometimes but that's why the rod model is called "mangrove" after all, right?

 

[saltyhackle]

I'm a big fan of the Royal Wulff Bermuda shorts with my mangrove. Loads up nice and fast for those tight quarter shots. On the outside it can get a little tough to punch into the wind sometimes but that's why the rod model is called "mangrove" after all, right?

haha touche! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[timogleason]

I'm a big fan of the Royal Wulff Bermuda shorts with my mangrove. Loads up nice and fast for those tight quarter shots. On the outside it can get a little tough to punch into the wind sometimes but that's why the rod model is called "mangrove" after all, right?

I've run the bermuda shorts on mine as well. Definitely overlined but helps my crappy casting. And why aren't you out fishing at 930 in the morning Capt Alex?

 

[CAPTAlexMoran]

I've run the bermuda shorts on mine as well. Definitely overlined but helps my crappy casting. And why aren't you out fishing at 930 in the morning Capt Alex?

Gregg let me sleep in for once!

 

[mac]

I like my airflo tropical clear tip on my mangrove 8 pretty well. When I next buy any of their lines I will most likely line down from the rod weight. I don't know anything about grains or whatever but it the 8 does seem to land pretty heavy